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Ayutthayan Empire
In the 16th century, Ayutthaya was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–1688) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris. By 1550, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, Lan Na and parts of Burma and Cambodia. This part of the kingdom's history is sometimes referred to as the "Ayutthayan Empire". Description Appearance The faces of Siamese men and women Their eyes are quite raised upwards, small and not clear, and the eyes are slightly yellow, the mouth is wide, the lips are pale, and the teeth are black, the skin is reddish brown. Three clothing styles were evident in the Ayutthaya period. Each style depended on social class. 1. Court clothing (worn by the king, queen, concubines, and senior government officials): * Men: The king wore mongkut (Thai: มงกุฎ), as headgear, round Mandarin collar with khrui and wore chong kben (Thai: โจงกระเบน), as trousers. ** Court officers, (who served in the royal palace) wore lomphok, as headgear, khrui, and wore chong kben. * Women The queen wore chada (Thai: ชฎา), as headgear, sabai (Thai: สไบ), (a breast cloth that wrap over one shoulder around cheast and back) and wore pha nung (Thai: ผ้านุ่ง), as a skirt. ** Concubines wore long hair, sabai, and pha nung. 2. Nobles (rich citizens): * Men: wore mandarin collar shirt, a mahadthai hair style (Thai: ทรงมหาดไทย), and wore chong kben. * Women: wore the sabai and pha nung. 3. Villagers: * Men: wore a loincloth, displayed a naked chest, a mahadthai hair style, sometimes wore sarong or chong kben. * Women: wore the sabai and pha nung. Personality Slightly fierce and quite powerful But it can be seen that sometimes it is calm, gentle and relaxed when there is no war. Interests Trading with neighboring country and Frang (Westerners) ,Listen to stories about the world from Frang (especially the Portuguese Empire). Flag meaning Other symbols Nicknames # Yuttya - Sometimes used to call him / herself # Ayutt - Used by Portugal and others Frang (Westerners). # thaya-san - Used by Japan. # Yodaya - Used by the Burmese. # Iudia - Sometimes used by the Burmese and others Frang (Westerners). Origin of the language Etymology History Origins According to the most widely accepted version of its origin, the Thai state based at Ayutthaya in the valley of the Chao Phraya River rose from the earlier, nearby Lavo Kingdom (at that time, still under the control of the Khmer Empire) and Suvarnabhumi. One source says that in the mid-14th century, due to the threat of an epidemic, King Uthong moved his court south to the rich floodplain of the Chao Phraya River onto an island surrounded by rivers. The name of the city indicates the influence of Hinduism in the region. It is believed that this city is associated with the Thai national epic, the Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Ramayana. Conquests and expansion Ayutthaya is shown in the Fra Mauro map of the world (c. 1450) under the name "Scierno", derived from the Persian "Shahr-I-Naw", meaning 'New City' Ayutthaya began its hegemony by conquering northern kingdoms and city-states like Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanulok. Before the end of the 15th century, Ayutthaya launched attacks on Angkor, the great power of the region. Angkor's influence eventually faded from the Chao Phraya River plain while Ayutthaya became a new great power. The emerging Kingdom of Ayutthaya was also growing powerful. Relations between Ayutthaya and Lan Na had worsened since the Ayutthayan support of Thau Choi's rebellion In 1451, Yuttitthira, a noble of the Kingdom of Sukhothai who had conflicts with Borommatrailokkanat of Ayutthaya, gave himself to Tilokaraj. Yuttitthira urged Borommatrailokkanat to invade Phitsanulok, igniting the Ayutthaya-Lan Na War over the Upper Chao Phraya valley (the Kingdom of Sukhothai). In 1460, the governor of Chaliang surrendered to Tilokaraj. Borommatrailokkanat then used a new strategy and concentrated on the wars with Lan Na by moving the capital to Phitsanulok. Lan Na suffered setbacks and Tilokaraj eventually sued for peace in 1475. However, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was not a unified state, but rather a patchwork of self-governing principalities and tributary provinces owing allegiance to the king of Ayutthaya under The Circle of Power, or the mandala system, as some scholars suggested. These principalities might be ruled by members of the royal family of Ayutthaya, or by local rulers who had their own independent armies, having a duty to assist the capital when war or invasion occurred. However, it was evident that from time to time local revolts, led by local princes or kings, took place. Ayutthaya had to suppress them. Due to the lack of succession law and a strong concept of meritocracy, whenever the succession was in dispute, princely governors or powerful dignitaries claiming their merit gathered their forces and moved on the capital to press their claims, culminating in several bloody coups.At the start of the 15th century, Ayutthaya showed an interest in the Malay Peninsula, but the great trading ports of the Malacca Sultanate contested its claims to sovereignty. Ayutthaya launched several abortive conquests against Malacca which was diplomatically and economically fortified by the military support of Ming China. In the early-15th century the Ming admiral Zheng He established a base of operation in the port city, making it a strategic position the Chinese could not afford to lose to the Siamese. Under this protection, Malacca flourished, becoming one of Ayutthaya's great foes until the capture of Malacca by the Portuguese. First Burmese wars Starting in the middle of the 16th century, the kingdom came under repeated attacks by the Taungoo Dynasty of Burma. The Burmese–Siamese War (1547–49) began with a Burmese invasion and a failed siege of Ayutthaya. A second siege (1563–64) led by King Bayinnaung forced King Maha Chakkraphat to surrender in 1564. The royal family was taken to Bago, Burma, with the king's second son Mahinthrathirat installed as the vassal king. In 1568, Mahinthrathirat revolted when his father managed to return from Bago as a Buddhist monk. The ensuing third siege captured Ayutthaya in 1569 and Bayinnaung made Mahathammarachathirat his vassal king. After Bayinnaung's death in 1581, Uparaja Naresuan proclaimed Ayutthaya's independence in 1584. The Thai fought off repeated Burmese invasions (1584–1593), capped by an elephant duel between King Naresuan and Burmese heir-apparent Mingyi Swa in 1593 during the fourth siege of Ayutthaya in which Naresuan famously slew Mingyi Swa (observed 18 January as Royal Thai Armed Forces day). The Burmese–Siamese War (1594–1605) was a Thai attack on Burma, resulting in the capture of the Tanintharyi Region as far as Mottama in 1595 and Lan Na in 1602. Naresuan even invaded mainland Burma as far as Taungoo in 1600, but was driven back. After Naresuan's death in 1605, northern Tanintharyi and Lan Na returned to Burmese control in 1614. The Ayutthaya Kingdom's attempt to take over Lan Na and northern Tanintharyi in 1662–1664 failed. Foreign trade brought Ayutthaya not only luxury items but also new arms and weapons. In the mid-17th century, during King Narai's reign, Ayutthaya became very prosperous. In the 18th century, Ayutthaya gradually lost control over its provinces. Provincial governors exerted their power independently, and rebellions against the capital began. Second Burmese wars In the mid-18th century, Ayutthaya again became ensnared in wars with the Burmese. The Burmese–Siamese War (1759–1760) begun by the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma failed. The Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767) resulted in the sack of the city of Ayutthaya and the debellation of the kingdom in April 1767. Downfall Main articles: Burmese–Siamese War (1759–1760) and Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767) Ayutthaya and Southeast Asia c. 1707-1767 Three pagodas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet which house the remains of King Borommatrailokanat, King Borommarachathirat III, and King Ramathibodi II Buddha head overgrown by fig tree in Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya Historical Park After a bloody period of dynastic struggle, Ayutthaya entered into what has been called the golden age, a relatively peaceful episode in the second quarter of the 18th century when art, literature, and learning flourished. There were foreign wars. Ayutthaya fought with the Nguyễn Lords (Vietnamese rulers of south Vietnam) for control of Cambodia starting around 1715. But a greater threat came from Burma, where the new Alaungpaya dynasty (Konbaung dynasty) had subdued the Shan states. The last fifty years of the kingdom witnessed a bloody struggle among the princes. The throne was their prime target. Purges of court officials and able generals followed. The last monarch, Ekathat, originally known as Prince Anurakmontree, forced the king, who was his younger brother, to step down and took the throne himself.According to a French source, Ayutthaya in the 18th century included these principal cities: Martaban, Ligor or Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Tenasserim, Junk Ceylon or Phuket Island, Singora or Songkhla. Her tributaries were Patani, Pahang, Perak, Kedah and Malacca. Organizations and Affiliations Politics Government Public Views Geography Relationships Future Versions * [[Siam|'Siam']] * [[Thailand|'Thailand']] Friends * Chinese Empire - (ex-wife) * [[Portuguese Empire|'Portuguese Empire']] - (ex-husband) The First Frang (Westerners) that Ayutthaya knows and makes trades with. * Spanish Empire * [[Kingdom of France|'Kingdom of France']] * [[India|'India']] Neutral * [[Dutch Empire|'Dutch Empire']] * [[Vietnam|'Yuan (Vietnamese)']] Enemies * [[British Empire|'British Empire']] Opinions Trivia Gallery References Category:Former Countries Category:Everything Category:Asia Category:Eastern Hemisphere Category:Characters Category:Empires Category:Buddhist Countries